Carefully, she pulled Elka out from beneath her mother's body and helped her sit upright.
Elka offered no resistance. She just stared ahead blankly. Her hands would not stop shaking. Blood soaked every inch of her clothing.
Neither of them spoke for a long time and the silence was tense.
When Elka finally found her voice, it sounded hollow and distant, as though the words belonged to someone else.
"They knew," she whispered. Her gaze remained fixed on nothing. "They knew I sent the letter."
Mara looked at the two ruined bodies lying on the floor and let out a long breath. "We need to act fast," she said quietly. "Before anyone comes looking for them."
They worked through the rest of the night in grim silence.
